Sammy the squirrel steals show

Dublin, Ohio • The true media star of the first day of the Presidents Cup wasn't Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Adam Scott.

World, meet Sammy.

U.S. captain's assistant Davis Love III started feeding a stray squirrel he found at the second hole at Muirfield Village, and the two more or less became friends.

"He rode around with me today," Love said later, after the U.S. had taken a 3??-2?? lead after the opening day of the competition.

Love took the animal into the Americans' team meeting room and all of the American players took a liking to it.

Nicki Stricker, Steve's wife, named him Sammy.

As Love drove in an electric cart watching the four-ball matches, he had the squirrel riding along, sitting in his lap.

He/she (no one knows for certain) became an unofficial mascot.

As the day came down to the final match, with Ernie Els and Brendon de Jonge fighting on the final hole but falling short in a 1-down loss to Stricker and Jordan Spieth, the squirrel was in the middle of the American players and their wives and girlfriends, who were watching the tense finish.

While Woods stared from the hill near the 18th green, watching the action, skier Lindsey Vonn  his girlfriend  playfully took the squirrel out of Love's right front pocket. She leaned behind Woods and carefully put the squirrel on his neck.

He didn't react for an instant, then, obviously annoyed, he tried to shrug away the animal while the rest of the American contingent  including playing partner Matt Kuchar  cracked up.